


Nightmare

by LoudestWhisper



Series: LoudestWhisper's Badgermao Family series [4]
Category: Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart (Cartoon)
Genre: Family Bonding, Fatherly Love, M/M, Nightmares, bad dream, papaclops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2019-11-14
Packaged: 2021-01-30 16:06:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21430945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoudestWhisper/pseuds/LoudestWhisper
Summary: When Adorabat has a bad dream, she feels conflicted about telling Mao Mao. Luckily, Badgerclops is there for her.
Relationships: Mao mao/badgerclops
Series: LoudestWhisper's Badgermao Family series [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1509734
Comments: 6
Kudos: 62





	Nightmare

**Author's Note:**

> Just a heads up: This is primarily a family-bonding story. There is some Badgermao in it though! Just not as much as my previous fics.

_ Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap._

It was a cold, autumn night. Outside, a storm raged on. Lightning flickered across the dark sky, booming thunder quickly following. Rain poured heavily upon the roof. Mao Mao wasn’t bothered in the slightest. His snores made it obvious. Adorabat, however, was wide awake. Not much frightened her, especially not bad weather. She took pride in being the bravest kid in all of skewl. While others would cower at something as silly as an unlit room, she could look giant monsters right in the eye and taunt them. 

But this was different.

_ Taptaptaptaptaptap! _

The knocking on the windowpane grew more furious. Drops collected on it, then quickly slid downward. Through the small streams, she could make out a silhouette. It was unrecognizable. Two pointy ears jutted from its head, one folded over and the other having a cut. The head was tilted to the side. It was as if this unknown creature was looking at her curiously. 

A bolt of lightning illuminated the room for a brief second. She was only able to get a quick glance of the stranger, but it was enough to burn the image in her mind. It had a large, unnatural grin that twisted way too widely. Razor sharp teeth that were unusually large were displayed, only parting slightly for the long tongue to dangle out. The eyes, though, were what chilled her the most. They were golden, like hers. Yet they were bloodshot, and the pupils were like pinpricks. 

She was frozen in shock. Never before has she seen something like this. Out of all the villains she fought against, nothing shook her to her core. Not like it did. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sinister chuckle.

“Hehehehhh….” 

The voice was nothing like she’s ever heard. It sounded somewhat like a grown man, but there was something off about it. A barely audible, high-pitched voice echoed after each syllable. Somehow, it managed to sound like an adult and a child at the exact same time. Adorabat shivered and covered her eyes with her wing.

“Aaaaaadorrraabaaaatt. C’moooonnn. Let me innnn.” It said between heaving breaths.

How Mao Mao was still snoozing was beyond her. She wanted to yell, to shake him harshly so he could get up and fight; so he could keep her safe But she couldn’t. Fear froze her. Her heart pounded in her chest and she almost swore the monster could hear it. 

“Afraaaiiid? Heh...Don’t youuu remember meeee?” 

The tapping morphed into rapid banging. Shriek laughter pierced the air, causing Adorabat to nearly jump. Her ears rang and she quickly shielded them in a fruitless attempt to drown out the horrifying sound. 

She bit her lip, squeezed her eyes shut, then began muttering to herself.

“Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away, go away, go away, goawaygoawaygoawaygoawaygoawaygoaway.”

It took her a moment to realize that all was silent. Ceasing her mumbling, she opened her eyes one by one and began scanning the area where it once stood. Whatever it was, it was now gone. Adorabat sighed with relief and got comfortable again so she could drift back off to sleep. All was calm once again. Even the storm seemed to have died down. 

The peace didn’t last long. 

A dreadfully familiar snicker filled the bedroom. She barely had time to register what was going on before being thrown across the room. She slammed into the wall and stumbled downwards. Pain pulsed throughout her skull, an unusual experience for someone with thick bones. All of a sudden, she was pinned to the floor by the creature’s foot. Attempts at fleeing were done in vain.

“Ohhh Adorraaabaaaattt. Didddd youuu reallyy think youuu coulddddd get riiidddd of me thattt easilyyyy?” 

It threw its head back in laughter. Her mind told her to scream, but all her throat could manage was a pathetic whimper. 

“Youuu can neverrr escaaape meeee.” 

The thing then bore its huge, jagged teeth and lunged forward.

\---------------------

Adorabat swiftly jolted up in bed, her body still shaking, ears still ringing. Instead of being shoved against the floorboards, she found herself lying in bed. Cold sweat covered her face. 

It was all just a bad dream. The closed curtains and the lack of rain solidified this. On the nightstand next to her bed was a small digital alarm clock. 12:30 a.m. flashed on it. Though it was well past her bedtime, she didn’t feel like resting. The horrid creature from her nightmare still lurked in her mind and she was afraid that if she dozed back off, it would return to haunt her. After collecting herself, she flew down to the bunk below. 

Mao Mao was bundled up in his red blanket. It appeared as if he was sleeping blissfully, something she was envious of. Part of her wanted to wake him up and ask for a comforting hug. The temptation was strong, and she almost went through with it. Yet, then she recalled what he said to her the day before. He just defeated a gigantic monster all on his own, much to her amazement. When she excitedly asked how he did it, he beamed and clapped a hand on her back.

“It’s all about being courageous. A hero never lets fear get in their way of doing the right thing! To act otherwise would be cowardly.” 

At the time, those words were inspirational. Now they filled Adorabat with shame. Would he think she’s a crybaby if she woke him up over some silly dream? The last thing she wanted was to be perceived as weak. Mao Mao was her idol. She couldn’t let him down like that. With a sigh, she backed away and thought of what to do next. 

It was then that she remembered watching one of her favorite cartoons a few days ago. When a character couldn’t sleep, his mom brought him some warm milk. He was out like a light after that. She didn’t understand how such a beverage could calm her nerves, but it was worth a shot. Keeping her pace slow and steady, she tiptoed over to the door and opened it carefully. A wince flashed across her face as it creaked when she closed it. Luckily, Mao Mao didn’t stir.

She turned around, expecting to be met with a pitch-black hallway. Yet, near the end, she saw the flickering light of the television. Curiosity overwhelmed her and she quietly walked down the corridor, staying close to the wall. 

Badgerclops was deep into his game. This was the toughest level he’s ever experienced. He never got past it before but was determined to tonight. If he had to stay up till sunrise to do so, so be it. This game cost him $80. There was no way in Pure Hear that he’d give up. 

_ Okay, time to jump. Kick. Slice the zombie. Upper cut the robot. Good. All I gotta do now is defeat the king of the castle. I got this. I- _

His inner monologuing came to a sudden hault when a cannonball flew across and slammed into his avatar. The words “Game Over” flashed on the screen, melancholic music accompanying it. 

“Oh what the fffff-” He cut himself off when he noticed a small figure lingering in the hallway from the corner of his eye. “.....frick.”

He huffed and slid his headset around his neck. 

“Adorabat, buddy, I can see you.” 

She slinked around the corner, looking embarrassed as she did so. 

“Oh hey, Badgerclops! Uh what brings you here?” she said with a nervous grin. 

“If anything, I should be asking YOU that question. Dude, it’s past midnight. You got school in the morning. Like, normally I wouldn’t mind you staying up late, because I think going to bed any earlier than 2 a.m. should be a crime, but the teacher gets verrrrry mad with us when you are tardy sooooo…” 

_ Aw, drat! I should’ve known I can’t outsmart him. _

A look of defeat spread across her face and she glumly flew over to the cushion next to him. She fidgeted around for a moment, as if trying to find the words to say. Would Badgerclops be disappointed in her for being afraid? 

“Alright, well, I...I couldn’t sleep.”

“I just checked on y’all about thirty minutes ago. You were out hard, kid.”

“I mean, I WAS asleep, but then something woke me up. And now I can’t go back to bed.”

“Oh shoot! Was it my video game? I could’ve sworn I my headphones were working.”

“Er, no. You see, I, uh….Ihadanightmare.” She murmured, getting the last few words out in a single breath.

Badgerclops cupped his ear and leaned forward. “Huh? What was that last part?”

“Ugh. I said I had a nightmare, okay?!” Adorabat folded her wings and looked at the ground. Tears threatened to spill out. Her lower lip quivered, and she bit it in an attempt to keep her cool. Internally, she was kicking herself. She expected to be laughed at or ignored. This made it all the more surprising when she was swiftly pulled into a warm hug. The comforting gesture made it impossible to hold back tears and she began to sob. 

“Awww, Adorabat. I’m sorry, little dude.” He stroked the back of her head. “Shhhh, c’mon. None of it was real, okay? Everything is fine.” 

“I-I know.” she sniffled as she pulled away. “B-but I guess I’m afraid that if I go back to sleep, it will return.”

“It?”

“Yeah, the monster from my dream.” 

Badgerclops nodded thoughtfully. “Hmmm. Okay, how about this. You can stay in here with me tonight. Sound like a plan?”

The smile that stretched from ear to ear answered his question. 

“Yeah! Thank you, Badgerclops.” Adorabat answered, giving him a tight squeeze. 

“N-no problem.” he choked out before she sheepishly let go. “Why didn’t you tell Mao Mao about this, by the way? Don’t get me wrong! I’m happy you felt comfortable enough to talk to me about this. But like, he’s right there below ya.”

She shuffled awkwardly in her seat and rubbed the back of her neck. “I did THINK about waking him up, but, I was sorta scared that he’d be...sad with me?”

“You mean disappointed?”

“Uh huh! That!”

“Why would you think that?”

Adorabat sighed. “Because y’know, heroes are supposed to be brave and stuff! He’s always talking about being courageous. What if he thought I was a coward?”

Badgerclops didn’t reply straight away. He chewed on her words for a bit. It was no secret that Mao Mao had a history of boasting about the ideals of heroism. Often, it got to the point where it became annoying. Her being negatively impacted by it was something he rarely considered. Any adult could understand what Mao Mao was trying to say, even if he didn’t always word it correctly. But Adorabat wasn’t an adult. She’s a little girl and could easily misinterpret what he said. It’s not her fault, of course. Kids need to be told things bluntly and thoroughly. That’s something many adults tend to forget about.

He patted her on the back and grinned. “Hey, I know he can be like super preachy at times about that kind of stuff. And maybe a bit arrogant. But I know for a fact that he would never call you a coward, Adorabat. He loves you! He wouldn’t mind if you told him about your nightmare. Heck, he’d want you to so he could keep you safe.” 

“Really?”

“Definitely.” He then pulled the blanket that was sprawled on his lap and wrapped it around her. She yawned and leaned against him. 

“I love you, Badgerclops.” she mumbled tiredly.

“I love ya too, kid.” 

\-------------------------------

The blaring sound of the alarm clock jolted Mao Mao from his peaceful slumber. With a groan, he reached over and turned it off. Almost instantly did he realize something wasn’t right. Adorabat would typically be wide awake and ready to do their usual morning stretches. However, the room was silent. He peered over to the middle bunk bed and noticed her absence. 

For a second, he panicked. He did his best to remain calm. There had to be a rational explanation as to why she was gone. Perhaps she was already eating breakfast or brushing her teeth. He also saw that Badgerclops wasn’t there either. Now that was weird. Normally, he’d still be snoozing. 

Mao Mao headed down the hallway in an attempt to locate his co-hero and deputy. All worry instantly melted away once he spotted them on the couch. A blanket was cloaked around them and they were cuddled up against each other. It was such an adorable image that Mao Mao considered taking a picture.

He tiptoed over to where they were. Gently, he tucked Adorabat in snugly and patted her head. The then leaned in, pressing a soft kiss on Badgerclops’ cheek. 

“Boo.” he heard in response.

“Gah!” Mao Mao clamped his mouth shut and looked over to see if Adorabat was still sleeping. “Don’t scare me like that.” he whispered with annoyance.

“Heh, sorry. Couldn’t help myself.”

Mao Mao rolled his eyes but smiled all the same. “What are you two doing in here anyway?”

“Hang on.” Badgerclops rose to his feet, careful not to disturb Adorabat. Then he went over to the kitchen, gesturing for Mao Mao to follow him. “Last night, she had a bad dream and came to me for comfort. She didn’t wanna go back to bed, so I let her crash here.”

Mao Mao cocked an eyebrow. “Oh, okay. But why didn’t she just wake me up? I was right there!”

“Yeah.” Badgerclops closed the fridge as he pulled a juice carton out. “She said she considered it, but, well…” He nibbled on the straw, unsure of how to tell him.

“Welllllll?”

“Alright, see, she was kinda scared that she’d let you down.” 

Mao Mao was taken back by such a statement. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t make sense of it. “Wha-what?” 

“Apparently when you were talking about the importance of heroes being brave, she thought you meant that heroes are never supposed to be afraid or seek help.”

He bit his lip and looked down at his feet. Yes, heroism was about being gallant, but that didn’t mean heroes didn’t have any fears. It especially did not mean that it was wrong to want or need others. 

“I… I never meant to come off like that.” he said quietly, eyes still cast downward.

A warm hand rested upon his shoulder. He looked up to see his companion smiling comfortingly. “Hey, I know that. You just gotta keep in mind that she’s five, dude. Kids need things explained to them straightforwardly. And, like, extensively.”

“You got a point. I’ll be sure to talk to her during breakfast.”

Badgerclops bent over and planted a gentle kiss on Mao Mao’s mouth. “Good idea.”

“Also, Badgerclops?

“Yeah?”

Mao Mao winced. “You got morning breath.”

**Author's Note:**

> Adorabat, to the monster from her dream: Both my dads can beat you up! You're doomed, buddy.
> 
> Thank you for reading my fic! I apologize for taking so long to write another one. Things have been hectic for me lately. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this! Have a good day!


End file.
